MobileRead 2016 Book Club CATEGORY Vote

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The following sums up very well what the differences are and how these really should not have been combined.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/is-y...r-or-suspense/

Originally Posted by bfisher

Lots of good crime fiction - for example, Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty), George V. Higgins (The Friends of Eddie Coyle)

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Political thriller like something Tom Clancy would write might fit outside those two. While you could file it under Mystery it's pacing and tension elevate it to something that is more than Mystery and not Horror.

There you go bringing up the one category that I voted for that I didn't particular like the grouping of. For me, Mystery/Crime and Thriller would have been the two categories. Suspense is just confusing the issue and Thriller and Crime are two different beasts. I wonder if the



My take: Crime is a sub of Mystery, focusing on the criminal investigation.

Thriller/Suspense have a certain pacing to them that heightens our anxiety and tension, but Suspense isn't really a genre for me.

Horror is its own thing. It is designed to scare. While mysteries and thrillers can scare us, horror tends to try to make us nauseated to boot.

And take all of this with a grain of salt because I have been known in the past to not read much mystery and to not be impressed by it when I have read it. I think I should like it, but I keep trying.

Thank you all so much! I wish I had asked before voting, because I would have chosen both categories. I actually like spy movies (but haven't really read much) and I tend to label them as mystery, or mystery with action, so my inclination was to suggest that they all be placed as one mega category.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

So, if a book about the American Revolution, say, were chosen, that means we couldn't discuss the political differences between the Patriots and the Loyalists? Or the Cavaliers and the Roundheads in the English Civil War?

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Every time I've read in a thread where there are some political or religious comments, one of the staff jumps in and says to take it to the P&R forum. So I cannot see why this would be any different as technically discussing politics is only allowed in P&R.

I certainly don't agree, but since neither of us is currently a moderator, I think we'll let WT Sharpe make that decision. Discussing the politics that was the root cause of a war in the past seems like a valid and necessary topic when you're talking about a book based in that war.

[JSWolf]

I've always said that thriller, suspense & crime are not the same and should not be merged. Besides, if they were the same, then we'd only need one of them.

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've always said that thriller, suspense & crime are not the same and should not be merged. Besides, if they were the same, then we'd only need one of them.

Well-said

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I certainly don't agree, but since neither of us is currently a moderator, I think we'll let WT Sharpe make that decision. Discussing the politics that was the root cause of a war in the past seems like a valid and necessary topic when you're talking about a book based in that war.

Easy solution, no war as a category.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by John F

I expect to follow what is in the first post of the vote thread. We had a whole year to discuss categories, I would expect everything to be ironed out before nominations and voting happens.

I'm not sure I understand your disagreement with me. I would consider the categories already ironed out. Are you really saying that because some obvious descriptions from the category nominations thread weren't included in the poll that we must ignore the clearly stated intent from the nominator of a category?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I'm not sure I understand your disagreement with me. I would consider the categories already ironed out. Are you really saying that because some obvious descriptions from the category nominations thread weren't included in the poll that we must ignore the clearly stated intent from the nominator of a category?

We do need to clearly lay out what's what or anything that fits is eligible even if that's not what was intended.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

... For me, Mystery/Crime and Thriller would have been the two categories. Suspense is just confusing the issue and Thriller and Crime are two different beasts...

I want Mystery to have its own category to ensure a mystery book wins the month (many crime books aren't mysteries, for example) while Thriller, Suspense & Crime is a catch-all of the other suspenseful category titles we've had. These two categories are sort of a complementary yin and yang so that it's clear that Mystery is only for plain old mysteries while Thriller, Suspense & Crime is for everything else suspenseful.

Originally Posted by issybird

Sure. Spy novels, for one. Also, books like Day of the Jackal or In Cold Blood.

Originally Posted by bfisher

Lots of good crime fiction - for example, Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty), George V. Higgins (The Friends of Eddie Coyle)

[GA Russell]

I'm very surprised that Romance is doing so poorly. I thought that it is one of the most popular categories.

[PandathePanda]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Every time I've read in a thread where there are some political or religious comments, one of the staff jumps in and says to take it to the P&R forum. So I cannot see why this would be any different as technically discussing politics is only allowed in P&R.

What about moving the book club discussion, if War get's chosen, to the P&R forum for that month

[Nyssa]

So far, there is a 3-way tie for 6th place with 13 votes each, a 3-way tie for 7th place with 11 votes each and a 2-way tie for 8th place with 10 votes each, giving us 3 more categories than we can use.

If the current poll were to end right now, which categories would make it into the run-off poll?

[JSWolf]

We only have a tie right now for 10th place.

[John F]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I'm not sure I understand your disagreement with me. I would consider the categories already ironed out. Are you really saying that because some obvious descriptions from the category nominations thread weren't included in the poll that we must ignore the clearly stated intent from the nominator of a category?

Yes.

Let the monthly nomination/voting decide things.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by John F

Yes.

Let the monthly nomination/voting decide things.

I've never said otherwise. What you are saying now is different than your last post. Letting people decide based on everything they know about a category, including any descriptions, is one thing while expecting to ignore any clearly stated descriptions not listed in the poll is quite another.

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I assumed that they were both non-fiction categories. But it could be argued that factual History may have a hint of fiction in it, no? And Science could include a lot of speculation. But still, Non-fiction as a genre.

I didn't add "Fiction" to the end of Contemporary but I wish I had.

Granted to some extent. Reflecting on speculation in [non-Fiction] Science there is speculation about the unknown and then there is anti-science fiction. However, the most distinguishing separation for both Historical Fiction and Science Fiction is the inclusion of purely fictional characters (including perhaps fictional aliens) engaging in fictional adventures. You know fiction versus non-fiction.